FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Carlos Correa's right-foot problems seem to be a distant memory. On Tuesday, the Twins’ shortstop did everything he was scheduled to do at the Lee Health Sports Complex.
Correa was as smooth as ever -- fielding ground balls and making perfect throws to first base. Some time later, Correa took batting practice before participating in a live batting practice session.
"I've been feeling really good,” Correa said. “You know me. When you have those types of [foot] injuries … you have to focus every single day of the offseason on getting it right and talking to doctors. I saw a lot of people. … We found the right ingredients to get it right. I’m in a really good spot right now.”
During the first two days of full-squad workouts, manager Rocco Baldelli had forgotten that Correa had right plantar fasciitis, which causes extreme pain in the heel. That’s how good the veteran shortstop has looked this spring.
“The fact that hasn't really been on my mind, probably says a lot. [Correa] is in a great physical place, too,” the skipper said. “I think he's one of those guys that just loves baseball, loves being at the ballpark and loves the work associated with baseball.”
According to Correa, the pain in his heel didn’t go away until last month. It was more than getting treatment, too: He had to strengthen other areas near the heel.
"It’s about getting it strong and keeping the kinetic chain loose. It’s not only the plantar,” Correa said. “I also have to take care of my Achilles, calf, hamstring and so on -- all the way up the chain. That’s something I’m focusing on. It took a lot of time. It takes a lot of money and effort, but at the same time, I want to be out there every single day this year. Hopefully, I can play a full season and see where that takes us.”
During most of the second half of last season, Correa couldn’t do any baseball activities because of the heel. When he was placed on the 10-day injured list on July 20, Correa was having an All-Star season with a slash line of .308/.377/.520 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs before the All-Star break. To this day, he doesn’t know how he injured his foot.
By the time Correa returned to action on Sept. 14, the Twins were on the verge of a collapse. Last August, they were battling the Guardians, Royals and Tigers for a postseason spot. But after going 9-18 in September, Minnesota was eliminated, while those other three American League Central teams played October baseball.
For Correa, it was tough to watch his team in September.
"So many things that could have been done differently, and internally. We are not going to talk about that,” Correa said. “It was tough to watch us crumble toward the end of the season when we were doing so great during the first half. We are correcting those mistakes. Hopefully, what happened in the first half will happen throughout the year."
Correa has already noticed a change in the locker room and on the field because of Baldelli.
"Our camp has been very structured this year,” Correa said. “[Baldelli] put together a great plan for us to be more structured, be more together, be everything as a unit. I appreciate that very much. That’s the type of work that I like.
“It’s structured because it’s now mandatory to do things that he is implementing. When you tell guys to get ready for the game, they will always choose the easiest path to get ready for the game and that’s what is going to get you ready to play 162 games. Now, with this structure that we have, everybody has to go outside. Everybody has to go for BP. Everybody has to be taking ground balls. Everybody has to run everyday because it pushes everybody. That’s exactly what we need on this team.”
By the end of the season, Correa wants to add to his legacy. He wants to help the Twins win their first World Series since 1991.
"That has been my dream ever since I came here,” he said. “I don't think we're too far from that. There are great teams out there like the Dodgers. But at the end of the day, when the playoffs start, it's not always the best team on paper that wins; it's the team that plays the best.
“What we're trying to build is a team that plays really good defense, that can pitch the ball well and the offense -- we know what [it] can do when we're all in the lineup. If we can get a World Series, that will make me very happy and cement my legacy as a world champion in two different organizations [Astros are the other]. That's … a dream of mine right now. It's my purpose and motivates me every morning to wake up and work.”